The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 – which aims to block cuts to home health payments – has been introduced in the House of Representatives. In a significant step for the legislation, Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced the bill in the House Tuesday. The bill was initially introduced […]
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
The number of Medicare-certified home health agencies in the United States continues to dwindle, the latest data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reveals. While not a dramatic drop, the decrease in the home health provider ranks is important considering pending cuts from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Advocates fear […]
After another poor proposed payment rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), home health leaders are trying to focus on the positive parts of the business they’ve chosen to be be a part of. Virtually none of those leaders believe anything positive is coming from the proposed payment rule itself, or from […]
For most home health provider leaders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule was disappointing, but not surprising. Between now and the fall, they’ll be straddling a line. One foot will be in advocacy, doing whatever they can to keep these cuts from becoming finalized, whether that’s through persuasion, congressional action or […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its FY 2024 home health proposed payment rule Friday. For next year, CMS is proposing to decrease aggregate home health payments by 2.2%, or an estimated $375 million less compared to 2023 levels. The draft is expected to be officially published in the Federal Register […]
It has become increasingly difficult for home health providers to ignore Medicare Advantage (MA) plans’ growing reach. Providers looking to thrive will need to learn to navigate this evolving reimbursement landscape. In 2023, MA plan enrollment surpassed traditional Medicare enrollment. There has been a growth of more than 10 million MA plan enrollees over the […]
Three major home-based care groups are asking the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for more time to review the agency’s recent Medicaid proposal, which features a handful of provisions that could prove challenging for operators. Among those provisions mandate thresholds on reimbursement, in which CMS would require that at least 80% of […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will immediately stop enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for home health workers and other health care staff. In light of the public health emergency (PHE) ending on May 11, the Biden administration announced in early May that it planned to end vaccination requirements for federal workers […]
For the first time ever, two of the largest associations representing the home-based care industry have joined together on a call to action regarding the workforce shortage. On Monday, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) released a report that details the needs of the […]
Everyone in the home-based care world hears that Medicare Advantage is becoming the dominant payer. But that’s not always true in certain regions, states or counties. It’s just not always clear how starkly MA is being favored over fee-for-service Medicare. Over the next five years, more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are projected to be […]
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